


Once Upon a Beginning

by Robynx



Category: One Piece
Genre: ASL Brothers, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Fairy Tale Style, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:40:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25625290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Robynx/pseuds/Robynx
Summary: There are lots of stories out there, and lots of stories we could tell. But this story is about a Little Dragon, a Little Boy, and the Small Dragon that changed their lives. This is the story of the Beginning, of all the Beginnings, and the stories that can be born from it.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33
Collections: Set Sail One Piece Mid Year Exchange 2020





	Once Upon a Beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Origamidragons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Origamidragons/gifts).



> This is for Origamidragons for the SetSail 2020 mid-year exchange. It's not exactly Outsider POV but it is fantasy, so I hope you like it '=]

Once upon a time, there was a Little Dragon. Now people in this word do not like dragons. They hunt them and try to snuff them out, convinced they are dangerous. Our Little Dragon never got to know his Mother because of this hunt. She was a brave and powerful dragon, but in protecting his egg she wore herself out, constantly fleeing and taking injuries to insure he would hatch. Eventually, she could go no further. However, our story manages to continue, for just as she was fading away, another dragon appeared.

Now, this dragon was different from our Little Dragon’s Mother. That’s not to say that he was not a powerful dragon, no, but he chose a far different path. This dragon let men chain him and command him so that they might not hunt him and so that he could defend against the darkness of the world. For such is a dragon driven to do. This dragon chose to submit to one source of darkness in order to root out other sources. Thus, he was reviled by other dragons for his betrayal, even his own son fought against everything his father was.

But our Little Dragon’s Mother was desperate, and she knew that, if nothing else, they would never suspect the Chained Dragon of harboring her hatchling. So, she held on long enough to see the little dragon break free of his shell, to give him his first bath of flames, and thus bestow his name before she slipped away.

The Chained Dragon then took the Little Dragon away, leaving his Mother where she lay, and spirited him away to an imposing mountain on a peaceful island, far away from the central powers of the world. There he was left in the care of an Ogre and her Goblin band. The Ogre cared for the Little Dragon only because she was terrified of the Chained Dragon, and how he could reveal them to the hunters and thus consign them to death.

So, the Ogre and her Goblins kept the Little Dragon alive, but little more than that. Thus, the Little Dragon grew up mostly alone, exploring the forest. Now dragons are not supposed to be alone, especially not little ones. They are creatures of bond and family, despite what the hunters try to make people believe, and so the Little Dragon ached inside though he did not know why.

Then in his 5th year, the Little Dragon met someone, and everything started to change.

* * *

Once upon a time, there was a Little Boy. Now, this Little Boy was born into a gilded cage; yet he had a fire in his heart and the wind in his soul. These are things that do not do well when one is in a cage. The Little Boy tried so hard to be good and to be happy. He did all that was asked of him and more; trying desperately to make those that called themselves his parents happy.

I was not to be.

You see some humans in this world are afflicted with a terrible curse. They rot from the inside out. Now you would be hard-pressed to tell that this had happened to someone, as they are want to cover it up. Grandiose and expensive clothing, cut and trimmed to draw attention away from the one underneath and their off-colored flesh. Thick, cloying perfumes and colognes to burry and mask the sickly-sweet smell of rot. Practiced and performed emotions to hid that the one giving them was no longer capable of truly feeling.

You see the Little Boys parents were Rotten. Their hearts had long ago been lost and they cared for the Little Boy only so much as he could be useful in garnering wealth. After all, more wealth meant more ways to disguise their Rot and thus allowing them to hide even from themselves. They resented the Little Boy for his fiery heart and his capacity for joy, and they tried to make him Rotten like themselves.

Now perhaps, if the Little Boy did not possess his fire and his wind, or maybe even if he had only had one, this might have succeeded. The Rotten parents might have kept the Little Boy trapped there until he started to rot himself. But the Little Boy did possess these traits and the wind in his soul blazed up the fire in his heart and drove the Little Boy to run and escape from the cage he was in.

But the world is not kind to little boys, especially not those that have been hidden from the world. The Little Boy learned quickly that Men are Cruel, that he was alone, and that he would need to fight for each day. The Little Boy survived, thriving in his freedom, hard as it was, yet there was an ache inside, for something more that he did not understand.

Then in his 5th year, the Little Boy met someone, and everything started to change.

* * *

The Little Dragon had ventured to the edge of his forest home.

The Little Boy had ventured to the edge of the large imposing forest.

The Little Dragon met a Little Boy

The Little Boy met a Little Dragon.

* * *

Now I could tell the story of how the Little Boy and the Little Dragon’s first meeting went. I could tell the story of how their second and third meetings went, but each of these are stories in and of themselves and not the story we are here to tell today. What I will tell you is that this is not a story of instant friends. This is not a story of easy comraderies and heartfelt declarations, nor the story of immediate love and affection. The Little Boy and the Little Dragon both ached too much for something like that. What this is, however, is a story of healing.

It took time, but the Dragon and the Boy soon became inseparable. They shared a dream. One of leaving their small quiet island and going out to see the world, of chasing the wind and the sun across the horizon. The Boy and the Dragon thought this is what kept them together, but I’ll tell you a secret.

It wasn’t.

Because the Dragon and the Boy found that being alone together made the strange unknown ache lessen.

~~(I’ll tell you another secret, the Boy and the Dragon weren’t actually alone anymore)~~

And so together the Dragon and the Boy grew, they trained to become strong, they foraged and gathered and hoarded together. They planned for their future and grew up in one another’s presence and were content to spend the rest of their lives like this.

Then in their 10th year, the Chained Dragon brought someone else to the Ogre, and everything started to change.

* * *

Once upon a time, there was a Small Dragon. This dragon didn’t know that the world hated him, but he was rather alone. Not fully alone like the Little Dragon, but alone all the same. You see the Small Dragon was the grandson of the Chained Dragon and had been left by the Chained Dragon in the care of a kind Nymph. The Nymph loved the Small Dragon and cared for him with all her might, but Dragons and Nymphs are very different creatures and there was only so much she could do. After all, Nymphs do not have inner flames like Dragons do.

But the Small Dragon got lucky. One Day a Sylph came to their quiet island.

Now, most people would look at this particular Sylph and see a Salamander but the Small Dragon (like any real dragon) could easily tell the difference between creatures of Air and those of Fire. The Small Dragon adored the Sylph and in turn, the Sylph found himself loving the Small Dragon and loving the beautiful and kind Nymph. But Sylphs are not meant to stay in one place for long.

For an entire year, the Sylph fought the winds to stay with the Small Dragon and the Nymph, but eventually, he had to follow his nature and depart. But before he left the Sylph used his winds to fan up the flames inside the Small Dragons Heart, banking, and building up the fading smolders into a Raging Blaze.

When the Chained Dragon returned to the island and found out about this, he was far from happy.

You see, the Chained Dragon wanted the Small Dragons Fire to be small and banked. If it was, then the world might overlook him and leave him in peace. He valued Safety over Freedom. But the Small Dragon had learned Freedom intimately from the Sylph and would not be dissuaded and nothing the Chained Dragon did was able to bank the Small Dragon’s Blaze back down.

So, the Chained Dragon made a decision; if he could not bank the Small Dragons Blaze, he would hide it. Just as he had hidden the Small Dragon’s existence.

The Chained Dragon dragged the Small Dragon away from the Nymph and his home and up the mountain to live with the Ogre instead.

The Small Dragon begged and screamed and fought not to be taken away from his home but there was little he could do against his fully grown grandfather and thus the Small Dragon lost the only home he had ever known.

Thus, in his 7th year, everything changed.

* * *

The Ogre was not happy about having yet another dragon forced onto her, and made it quite clear to the Small Dragon that she would be providing the bare minimum for his to survive and nothing more.

The Little Dragon was, somehow, even less happy about the Small Dragon invading his home that even the Ogre. Now, this is somewhat surprising. One might think, as Dragons are meant to have other dragons around, that the Little Dragon would be excited to meet the Small Dragon. Unfortunately, the Little Dragon had been alone too long with none but the Little Boy to stand by him against the hatred of the world. The Little Dragon had grown distrustful and thought the ache would finally go away if he could stop longing for companionship and be content with what he had.

( ~~There was also a small part of the Little Dragon that was scared of how brightly the Small Dragon Blazed~~ )

The Small Dragon, in contrast, was ecstatic. Oh, he was greatly upset that he had been forced to leave behind the Nymph but the idea of getting to live with another dragon flared hope and excitement within him. He was determined to nest with the older dragon.

The Little Dragon was against this and made his displeasure known.

* * *

At this point, I could break off and tell you of all the ways and all the times the Small Dragon tried to get close to the Little Dragon, and all the ways and times the Little Dragon drove off and lost the Small Dragon in the great mountain forest but each of those are their own stories and not the one we are here to tell. I will tell you that it took many months for these two to come together, and it likely would have taken many more if not for one specific event.

You see, the Small Dragon managed to follow the Little Dragon far enough that he was able to meet the Little Boy.

Now, this might not have been so bad, except the Small Dragon managed to sneak up on the Little Boy and the Little Dragon while they were adding to their hoard.

Dragons, even Little ones, are **extremely** protective of their hoards.

The Little Boy and the Little Dragon immediately threw themselves at the Small Dragon. As he had no desire to fight the others, and because he _was_ smaller than them, the Small Dragon was easily captured.

The Boy and the Dragon decided that the best course of action would be to kill the small dragon.

Now, there’s no need to worry. You see neither Little Dragon nor Little Boy had any real desire to do something so cruel, but the world had taught them to be vicious.

The two of them argued and bickered and tried to talk themselves up and convince themselves that they truly as monstrous as the world told them they were for some time. Now perhaps this story might have had a different ending, whether better or worse we cannot say, except that prowling through the forest looking for the Little Boy and the Little Dragon came a Gnoll and a pack of Red Caps.

* * *

You see, this particular Gnoll and pack of Red Caps worked for a nasty Bugbear who had decided to live on the island and cause havoc. Never enough to draw the attention of the hunters, no, but he targeted the weak and the strange. The ones the world didn’t care enough about to send hunters out to protect. This Bugbear fancied himself a grand and important person and didn’t like that the Little Dragon and the Little Boy ran freely doing what they pleased and getting in his way. It also didn’t help that he was greedy and knew that even a Little Dragon was likely to have a hoard. The Bugbear wanted the Little Boy and the Little Dragon’s hoard.

So, the Gnoll was sent out to capture either the Boy or the Dragon and make them reveal the location of their hoard to the Bugbear.

That day they did not find the Little Dragon or the Little Boy. They found the Small Dragon who was still reeling from the ~~untrue~~ threat of death.

Now, there’s something you need to know. Dragons, in general, are honest creatures. They usually have little reason to lie or deceive others. Now the Little Dragon had been forced to learn this trait.

The Small Dragon had not.

There is something else you need to know. Gnoll’s are not particularly smart. Red Caps are even less so. They had been told to find a Little Dragon. They found a Small Dragon. So, they’d accomplished their task. They demanded that the Small Dragon tell them if he knew where the Little Dragon’s hoard was.

The Small Dragon told the truth. He did.

They demanded he tell them where it was.

The Small Dragon refused.

They didn’t like this much.

The Gnoll dragged the Small Dragon off, with the Red Caps chittering behind him, threatening the Small Dragon with all manner of tortures and pains.

The moment the Gnoll was out of sight the Little Dragon and the Little Boy set about moving their hoard as fast as they could. They believed that the Small Dragon would tell the Gnoll everything as soon as his scales were scratched. As they worked, they didn’t notice the passage of time and it wasn’t until the sun was dipping below the horizon that the Little Boy had a realization.

The Bugbear and his minions hadn’t come for them.

The Small Dragon hadn’t said a word.

* * *

The Gnoll was not happy.

He and the Red Caps had bashed the Small Dragon with their fists, racked him with their claws, even ripped out his scales, and yet he remained silent.

This was a problem, for if the Gnoll didn’t give the Bugbear what he wanted, then the Bugbear was likely to kill the Gnoll in his anger.

The Gnoll was growing desperate, his attacks more vicious, and it was reaching the point where he might accidentally kill the Small Dragon.

That would be a sad story indeed.

However, it is not our story. For just then the Little Dragon and the Little Boy ambushed the Gnoll and the Red Caps retrieving the Small Dragon and escaping back into the great forest, where few others ever dared tread.

* * *

Now I could tell you about the fate of the Gnoll, the Red Caps, and the Bugbear’s wrath, but this isn’t a story about them. It’s a story about three young hearts and the fire that they shared.

The Little Boy and the Little Dragon had been hurt in their rescue, but it was nothing compared to the cruel wounds that littered the Small Dragons body, slowly leaking lifeblood. Gently, the older two bandaged the Small Dragons wounds, then their own, for despite how they were taught by the word to act, the two were, at their core, kind and gently beings.

Yet the Little Dragon was angry.

( ~~I’ll tell you a secret. The truth was, the Little Dragon was confused and upset and guilty and something inside him ached to see the Small Dragon so hurt. But the world had taught him that these things were a weakness and so he hid it all and burned and raged instead.)~~

He demanded to know why the Small Dragon hadn’t simply given the Gnoll what he wanted and spared himself so much pain.

The Little Dragon was not prepared for the answer.

The Small Dragon breathed out and let the Blaze of his heart encircle the three of them. He poured out his desire to belong, to nest with the others, and to be together and to be free and to become everything dragons were meant to be.

The Little Boy and the Little Dragon basked in the warmth of the Blaze and slowly, over time allowed their own heart fires to mix with the Small Dragons. Together they banked each other up and the Blaze became an inferno that roared inside of each of them, greater and brighter than they could have ever dreamed of on their own.

* * *

Surprisingly, it was the Little Dragon who suggested the ritual. A sacred pack that would bind the three together as Soul Brothers; their lifeforce and will and hearts and fire forever linked together.

It never even crossed the Little Boy or the Small Dragons' mind to say no.

As the Sun made the Ocean Burn, the three became something greater than even they truly understood at the time, bound in the flames of freedom that burned in their hearts, and for a moment the world stood still, though it did not know why.

Now I could tell you what happens next. Of pain and trial and growth and adventure. Countless stories to fill up your days about these three brothers. About the young dragons and the boy who perhaps should have been, or perhaps secretly was, or perhaps was going to be. But those stories are their own and not the one we are here to tell today.

This is the story of a birth, of a bond, of an origin, of a Beginning. For every Story that exists has a Beginning, and this, this is the Story that is the Beginning for them all.


End file.
